MAF project on '04 C230 - a little reengineering
08-27-2015, 03:25 PM
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87-190D 2.5 5-Speed Manual, 2004 C230 Kompressor Sport - 6-Speed Manul
MAF project on '04 C230 - a little reengineering
2004 C230 Kompressor Sport - 6 Sp. Manual @ 135000 miles.
I got P0171 three weeks back. I decided to first to take out and cleaned the MAF sensor.
It was a pain in the neck to complete the job. it took me twice, and totaled over 6 hours of effort to finally able to take the intake hose clamp off, the second try was done after ordering a special flexible clamp tool.
it seems the design engineers never did any service work. A friend of mine has a 2000 C230, in that model, replacing the MAF sensor is a breeze that takes just 10 minutes and the sensor itself from Bosch costs just $25 instead of $300 in the 2004 model.
The same should actually hold true for the 2004 model as well, as what needs replacement is the sensor unit, not the housing, see the circled unit in the picture. The housing will never break, why replace that as well? Forcing the whole-unit replacement is unreasonably wasteful to the owner and a burden to the environment as well.
From the experience of my MAF project, I gained some insights, and would like to share with everyone here:
1. It is not necessary to remove the spring clamp to take out the airbox: There are three screws that mount the MAF sensor assembly to the airbox. While the bottom one seems impossible to reach without removing the spring clamp, the two top screws can be easily removed. After this, the extra degree of freedom gained will allow you to lift the airbox out of the front bushing. You can then lift the partially free airbox so much that you can feel the third screw by reaching your hand to the back. With this, using a flexible shaft hold firmly against the torx screw with one hand, it can be easily removed. So the airbox and the elbow are separated. The MAF sensor can then be easily pried off from the elbow piece.
2. Since there are plenty of space in the airbox, it becomes apparent that the bottom screw I painstakingly removed with a flex shaft in the last step should have been designed to be screwed on from inside the aixbox. So I did a little re-engineering: A) Using epoxy, I cemented a metal nut to the back of the elbow where the third screw comes through. B) I drilled the original hole on the airbox a little larger so a screw can go through. Now the bottom screw will be from inside the aixbox. From now on, it is no longer necessary for me to remove the elbow and even the aixbox, to take out the MAF sensor. See attached picture files. With this in place any future MAF sensor job will take no more than 30 minutes to compete.
3. If you still want to spare the ordeal of having to remove the spring clamp in the future, replace the it now with a screwed on plumbing hose clamp for $2. Hope this will help make your next project a lot easier.
I got P0171 three weeks back. I decided to first to take out and cleaned the MAF sensor.
It was a pain in the neck to complete the job. it took me twice, and totaled over 6 hours of effort to finally able to take the intake hose clamp off, the second try was done after ordering a special flexible clamp tool.
it seems the design engineers never did any service work. A friend of mine has a 2000 C230, in that model, replacing the MAF sensor is a breeze that takes just 10 minutes and the sensor itself from Bosch costs just $25 instead of $300 in the 2004 model.
The same should actually hold true for the 2004 model as well, as what needs replacement is the sensor unit, not the housing, see the circled unit in the picture. The housing will never break, why replace that as well? Forcing the whole-unit replacement is unreasonably wasteful to the owner and a burden to the environment as well.
From the experience of my MAF project, I gained some insights, and would like to share with everyone here:
1. It is not necessary to remove the spring clamp to take out the airbox: There are three screws that mount the MAF sensor assembly to the airbox. While the bottom one seems impossible to reach without removing the spring clamp, the two top screws can be easily removed. After this, the extra degree of freedom gained will allow you to lift the airbox out of the front bushing. You can then lift the partially free airbox so much that you can feel the third screw by reaching your hand to the back. With this, using a flexible shaft hold firmly against the torx screw with one hand, it can be easily removed. So the airbox and the elbow are separated. The MAF sensor can then be easily pried off from the elbow piece.
2. Since there are plenty of space in the airbox, it becomes apparent that the bottom screw I painstakingly removed with a flex shaft in the last step should have been designed to be screwed on from inside the aixbox. So I did a little re-engineering: A) Using epoxy, I cemented a metal nut to the back of the elbow where the third screw comes through. B) I drilled the original hole on the airbox a little larger so a screw can go through. Now the bottom screw will be from inside the aixbox. From now on, it is no longer necessary for me to remove the elbow and even the aixbox, to take out the MAF sensor. See attached picture files. With this in place any future MAF sensor job will take no more than 30 minutes to compete.
3. If you still want to spare the ordeal of having to remove the spring clamp in the future, replace the it now with a screwed on plumbing hose clamp for $2. Hope this will help make your next project a lot easier.
Last edited by BenZ190D; 11-11-2015 at 11:11 AM.
